Antioch Community High School

Test Preparation Resources

Students are faced with taking several standardized tests during their high school careers. Some of them determine college admission and credit, and all of them are important.

The faculty & staff of Antioch High School want every student to be successful in his or her academic pursuits. This page lists several sources for students and parents looking for help preparing for the testing process.

Testing Dates • Listed here are the announced dates for the upcoming tests

Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) – includes the ACT test
Who: all juniors must take the PSAE
Spring 2010 test dates: April 28-29. Makeup test dates: May 12-13.
No fee or registration required. For more information about the PSAE test, click here.

ACT Test
Who: normally taken during the junior year; seniors can also take/retake the test
Test dates in 2009: September 12, October 24, December 12
Test dates in 2010: February 10, April 10, June 12
Registration packets are available in the ACHS guidance office. For more infomation about the ACT test, click here.

SAT Test
Who: normally taken during the junior year
Test dates in 2009: October 10, November 7, December 5
Test dates in 2010: January 23, March 13, May 1, June 5
Registration packets are available in the ACHS guidance office. For more infomation about the ACT test, click here.

Advanced Placement (AP) Tests
Who: open to all grades
Test dates in 2010: May 3 (Government & Politics: U.S., Government & Politics: Comparative, French Language), May 4 (Computer Science A, Computer Science AB, Spanish Language, Statistics), May 5 (Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chinese Language), May 6 (English Literature, German Language, Japanese Language, French Literature), May 7 (U. S. History, European History, Studio Art), May 10 (Biology, Music Theory, Physics B, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism), May 11 (Environmental Science, Chemistry, Psychology), May 12 (Italian Language & Culture, English Language, Art History), May 13 (Macroeconomics, World History, Microeconomics), May 14 (Human Geography, Spanish Literature, Latin Literature, Latin: Vergil)
Registration forms are available in the ACHS guidance office and are due March 19 ($86 per test). For more infomation about the AP tests, click here. For more about District 117’s Advanced Placement program, click here.

PSAT/MNSQT Test
Who: sophomores can take the PSAT for practice; juniors must take it to qualify for National Merit Scholarship status
When: ACHS will administer the PSAT/MNSQT on October 17, 2009 at Lakes High School.
Registration packets are available in the ACHS guidance office. For more infomation about the PSAT, click here.

PLAN Test
Who: sophomores
When: ACHS will administer the PLAN test to all sophomores on November 5, 2009.
No fee or registration is required. For more infomation about the PLAN test, click here.

Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
Who: open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors
When: ACHS will administer the ASVAB on November 10, 2009.
Registration forms are available in the guidance office. For more infomation about the ASVAB, click here.

EXPLORE Test
Who: incoming freshmen
When: ACHS will administer the EXPLORE test on October 17, 2009 at Lakes High School.
No fee or registration is required. For more infomation about the EXPLORE test, click here.

The ACT test is the standard college admissions test for universities in the Midwest. ACT has an extensive web site with plenty of information about the test sites, rules, registration and announcements. An extremely valuable resource is the practice tests to take online, complete with the correct answers. Go to www.actstudent.org

The College Board association’s best-known programs are the SAT (the standard college admissions test for universities outside the Midwest), the PSAT/NMSQT and the Advanced Placement Program (AP). The College Board’s web site has information about their tests, registration and other resources. The main feature is the practice tests to take online. Go to www.collegeboard.com

PSAT/NMSQT
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a co-sponsored program by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test. It also gives students a chance to enter National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs.The PSAT/NMSQT measures critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills and writing skills. Click here for more info.

The PLAN program helps 10th graders build a solid foundation for future academic and career success. It is a comprehensive guidance resource that helps students measure their current academic development, explore career/training options, and make plans for the remaining years of high school and post-graduation years. PLAN can help all students—those who are college-bound as well as those who are likely to enter the workforce directly after high school. As a "pre-ACT" test, PLAN is a powerful predictor of success on the ACT. Click here for more info.

The ASVAB was originally designed to predict future academic and occupational success in military occupations. Studies indicate the ASVAB assesses academic ability and predicts success in a wide variety of occupations. Several composite scores are formed from different combinations of ASVAB test scores. Three composites, or Career Exploration Scores, are provided specifically to help students engage in career exploration. These scores help students to get a good sense of their verbal, math, and science and technical skills compared to other students in the same grade. Click for more info.

Number2.com was founded by professors and graduate students who wanted to make high quality test preparation universally accessible. Their site has has help for preparing to take the ACT, SAT, GRE, and Vocabulary tests. Go to www.number2.com

Test Prep Review has free practice test questions for a wide variety of standardized tests, including ACT, SAT, PSAT, ASVAB and others. Other resources provide help in preparing for these exams. Go to www.testprepreview.com